Day 0010

A beautiful day but bitterly cold. I did a plein-air sketch in the park with some chalks. It only took a few minutes but I regret it because I have spent the rest of the day recovering from the chill. Nice to work in colour though. I had the intention of going to look at the impressionists afterwards, but as I only had a short while today I decided to save them up for another day.

Instead I returned to a painting by Francesco Francia which has stayed with me for the last few days. It is so serene, with such a tender Madonna and a tranquil landscape in the background that I can't help but feel relaxed when I see it. I took an hour or so to sketch it.

I also took some time to appreciate the detail of the northern artists, and I particularly enjoyed discovering Joos van Cleve, who renders some rather sumptuous fabrics in his annunciation and on Catherine in his crucifixion triptych, using the most minutely small strokes of a tiny brush. Hard not to admire such intense patience and control, like the Dutch landscapists who painted all the leaves on their trees.